Morello Cherry Chocolate and Cognac Teacakes

Treats come in many shapes, forms and sizes. For her a treat could be the finest leather high heeled shoes, in red; all eyes are on her as she sways down the street. For him, his treat is a brand new part to the sleek Porsche 550 Spyder; he puts the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle with his own hands. For the writer probably a simple stack of paper: his writer’s block subsides as he begins to fill the blank pages with new ideas.
Treats: we all need and depend on them.

We depend on them because they evoke the simplest of feelings in us so pure yet so essential like a soothing elixir permeating our bodies and minds. Treats make us happy; they give us satisfaction and help us feel secure.

One summer day as the sun shone high in a cloudless blue sky, I’d taken the day off, as I sometimes do in the middle of the week, to enjoy the luxury of being home alone while everyone else was at work. It was the way I liked to cosset myself on occasions. Tom was researching in Dubai at the time and Soeren was at school. After spending the entire morning writing, I decided to do a few chores around the house before Soeren returned home. Taking the overflowing trash out was first on my list.

Barefooted, I stepped out of the main door on the warm concrete path and walked around the corner to the trashcan, I heard the door shut gently behind me. I was lost in thoughts and my mind was deep in the article, mentally editing what I had written earlier. Back at the door, for a millisecond I looked puzzled, until it dawned on me; the door was shut and the key was hanging in the keyhole - on the other side!

I felt rather foolish - I am the one who usually teases my friends about such situations and I could not believe this was happening to me. There I was on a lovely spring day standing looking rather silly, without shoes in a well-worn T-shirt and shorts. What should be done in this situation? Usually I would have called Tom - and howled and cursed down the phone. However, as he was in Dubai and my mobile phone was in my handbag inside, there was going to be no howling today. At least I could curse to my heart’s content.

The mind began racing. I walked up to my neighbor’s house on the right and rang the doorbell. No answer. I rang again but still no one opened the door. I walked to the neighbor’s house on the left and rang the doorbell. And got no answer. Shoulders slumped, I walked back up the path to the street and looked left and right. Besides for my black Golf, there was not a single car parked in any of the driveways of our entire street.

More cursing followed. “That’s what you get for treating yourself to a day off when everyone else is at work!” I had no choice but to wait. Finally, I heard a car and as it came up the street, pulling up in the driveway opposite our house, I probably scared my old neighbor as I emerged in front of her waving my arms. I told her my story, apologizing for the way I was dressed and asked if I could call the locksmith. She laughed and asked me into her home and as I dialed the number of the locksmith, she disappeared into the kitchen.

Reappearing with a tray of cooling iced tea and some teacakes she winked at me and said,
“You look like you need a treat!”

These treats are the perfect delicacy for all occasions. The decadent chocolate will comfort and the sticky Morello cherry preserve with a splash of cognac will clear up the discombobulated mind. Believe me, you will smiling as you bite into the soft moist and rich pastry.

In a saucepan melt chocolate and butter over a medium high heat until smooth.

Combine eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until well incorporated and fluffy.

Whisk together flour and chocolate mixture then pour over the eggs and sugar. Whisk gently until you have a thick, smooth and creamy mixture.

Spoon some of the mixture into the kugelhopf form, filling only halfway, then add a few teaspoons of the preserve. Finally top off with the remaining batter.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

In a small box mix together the cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven let them cool slightly then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat them.

Verdict

These teacakes offer rich and mature flavors. I love the dark chocolate as it adds an intense and beautiful strong flavor, while the Morello cherry provides the perfect fruity kick. That cognac brings the aromas together making these the perfect treat to indulge into .

From Plate to Page

There’s a lot happening over at the From Plate to Page blog and plenty to update. We’re featuring the sensational Prop Stylist and Creative Director Robin Zachary from New York this week. She shares her secrets and allows us a peek into her Prop Closet. We’re extremely excited to have her as our guest.

WAIT! That’s not all! We shared the news a few weeks ago that we’ve partnered with the very magnificent Bord Bia – Irish Food Board who are our principle sponsors. This allows us to provide our participants an extremely exclusive hands-on workshop. This week we have a huge surprise for all our Irish readers. Together with theIrish Food Blogger Association and CooksAcademy, we are holding a fantastic competition that you cannot afford to miss.

The prize? Two lucky winners get to attend the From Plate to Page residential workshop in Weimar from 20-23 May and participate in the many writing, styling, cooking and photography workshops that will take place over the weekend. The prize includes flights, airport transfers, accommodation and meals.

Monthly Mingle

We’re going to be having a lot of fun this month as Sarah takes us through all shades of pink and wants us to Think Pink. Head on over to the announcement page for all the details and how you can join us for this quirky party.

The deadline is March 30th. Hope to see you there!

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead and a relaxing weekend. I’ll be back next week with a very different Italian classic.

I should look for these cherries, when i saw in FB i came here to look for the recipe as i am looking for something new to make for tea this afternoon, but alas dont have the cherries, still bookmarking the recipe.

Hhehe cute story, Meeta! I'm the kind of person who forgets such things. Just yesterday I travelled by train without my pass, oblivious to the fact that I'd forgotten my wallet at home. Thank god I wasn't caught by the ticket checker. Lovely cake, too.

They sound wonderful Meeta, and I love the rustic look! :-) Hehe I can relate to that story; when we got our locks changed I accidentally left the the other set of keys inside and had to call the locksmith to open the door. 10 second job cost me a whopping 100$! I learned my lesson though ;-)

I was so excited to see your post. I have a jar of Amarena cherries and was looking for something to do with them other than eating them out of the jar! Gorgeous blog. I am intrigued with your MM, I didn't see pages of rules...I like that!

I have done that a couple of time. Back in India, once after i came back from work and I was ready to unlock the key, only to realize that I left it at work .. wonder why even I took it out ! gggrrr Thankfully my cousin always had a spare key of my house and I was saved ! :D This tea cakes looks delicious and I like the pics a lot.. the lighting is so diff, dark, yet so nice to look at !

Oh my gosh Meeta, your story made me laugh so hard! I had the same thing happen to me a few years back at our old house, I was just escorting a friend out and neglected to check whether or not I had unlocked the door behind us before leaving, well turns out I hadn't and I was in the middle of the street in my ratty old tee-shirt and shorts too! I unfortunately did not have a kind neighbor to lend me a hand and had to drag our trash can beneath the closest window, climb on top and break into my own house!! I ended up crashing through the window onto my living room floor - now that's a time when I could have used a treat for sure!

This is one of the finest teacakes I have ever seen. I wud love to have some, so saving ur recipe to try my hands on it soon. Its always so inspiring to visit ur lovely space, your treats leave me crave for more of every dish !

Meeta you are a brilliant writer and these photos are genius! I love the light you capture with your words and photos. I'm sorry that I just ate a delicious donut from the new shop on my block. This looks so much more delightful, yet I can't really eat it. It's a lot less fattening just to look. Thanks for a wonderful week!

something similar happened to me once when we were liviing in Shanghai, I came home from the supermarket with lots of grocery bags, when I searched on my bag for my home keys I realized I forgot them inside the house. I tried to call my husband but he did not anwered the phone so I left him a message.

Then I waited. and waited.

Until I had no choice but to call my helper and ask her if she could come (from her house) to help me open my door. (all this on my non existent Mandarin)...

I wished someone would welcomed me at her place with some gorgeous cakes like these.

Lovely Cakes Meeta...I had a similar experience 4 years back..im always very particular abt things and have never forgotten to chk if I have the keys..I was newly married then & was new to UK..my hubby came home for lunch & I was just sending him off..then realized in my romantic moment had forgotten my keys & was stranded in the cold street in super short shorts and a vest..tried calling my hubs but he was in a meeting and knew absolutely no one so had to go to my neighbours and jump their fence to reach my garden...thankfully had left my kitchen to garden door open!

Meeta,My husband's Birthday is around the corner. we just moved to an new city & left our friends behind.[:(] I was wondering if these drool worthy cakes can be made for a surprise midnight party for two? how many cakes does this recipe make?Regards,Soumya

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...